


rusalka

by imposterhuman



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Ambiguous/Open Ending, BAMF Natasha Romanov, Bucky Is a Good Bro, F/M, M/M, Multi, Natasha Romanov Feels, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, POV Natasha Romanov, Pre-Slash, Rusalka (Water Spirit), Rusalka Natasha Romanov, Russian Bucky Barnes, Russian Mythology, Tony Is a Good Bro, Tony has a heart, WinterIronWidow, bucky has a heart, established winteriron, tony doesnt believe in magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 04:41:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21130820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imposterhuman/pseuds/imposterhuman
Summary: Natasha considered herself somewhat of an expert seductress, what with her track record of dragging young men to the bottom of her lake and drowning them, all because they were so entranced by her beauty that they ignored their burning lungs.Her charms were so strong, in fact, that she wasn’t sure why they weren’t working on the brunet who rested at the water’s edge. She had been trying for hours to get him to take a swim with her, to dip a toe into the shallows where she could tangle him with her hair and drag him down. But he seemed immune to her, like she wasn’t even there.Natasha didn’t like that, not one bit.





	rusalka

**Author's Note:**

> to anyone who is familiar with slavic mythology, i know im taking some creative liberties. i got most of the basis for this from wikipedia and katherine arden's bear and the nightingale. if theres anything unreadably incorrect, drop me a line and ill fix it! i adore slavic mythology and the rusalka is such an interesting thing to me but! that is neither here nor there in my point
> 
> for those who arent familiar, a rusalka is like the slavic version of a siren
> 
> enjoy!

Natasha considered herself somewhat of an expert seductress, what with her track record of dragging young men to the bottom of her lake and drowning them, all because they were so entranced by her beauty that they ignored their burning lungs. There hadn’t been a man who could resist her charms, not since she smiled her first toothy smile at a young blond. He had made a nice kill. She fed on their fear and their desire and it kept her strong.

Her charms were so strong, in fact, that she wasn’t sure why they weren’t working on the brunet who rested at the water’s edge.

She had been trying for _ hours _to get him to take a swim with her, to dip a toe into the shallows where she could tangle him with her hair and drag him down. But he seemed immune to her, like she wasn’t even there.

Natasha didn’t like that, not one bit. It was a point of pride at this point; no man had ever survived her, and no man ever would. She was a rusalka, beautiful and deadly, and he was just a weak human. She just had to try harder.

She waded through the water, soundless, her red hair floating around her. The man didn’t even look up from his book. Even as she stood, the water streaming off of her perfect curves in what she well knew were irresistible rivulets, he didn’t see her. 

As she was about to inch closer, to touch his soft skin with a long nail, she heard footsteps. Ever cautious, Natasha dove behind a patch of plants, peeking through them to watch.

“Tony!” a second man called, coming out of the woods and walking towards the lake. “Where’d you run off to?”

The original man- Tony, it seemed- put his book down. Natasha didn’t feel stung that it took a measly human a single word and none of her tricks had worked, not at all. “Over here, Bucky,” he said. Tony greeted Bucky with a smile.

Natasha’s greatest failing was her curiosity. She could easily drown the two men, but she wanted to watch them first. She wanted to know what made Tony special, if Bucky had something to do with it.

“You ran off, doll, and I couldn’t find you,” pouted Bucky, sitting down next to Tony on the rocks. “You left me to handle the old ladies myself, which I'm not sure I appreciate, babe.”

“They’re _ your _relatives,” Tony shook his head, laughing slightly. “I did my time with the Italian grandmas. I’m not dealing with your Russian ones, too.”

“That’s fair,” Bucky conceded with a shrug. “So you decided to run off to the lake? God, I haven’t been here in ages.”

“It’s beautiful,” Tony said, tipping his head against Bucky’s shoulder. “I could stay here for hours.”

“You gotta be careful around these lakes,” Bucky teased, grinning at Tony. “Or the rusalka will get you.”

Natasha felt _ something _ lance through her at the clear expression of devotion written on Bucky’s face. She knew desire, she knew fear, she knew the still peace of death, but she had never seen love before.

Tony looked at the water, eyes skating over where she was hidden behind the reeds. “How do I know you’re not the rusalka?” he challenged and leaned up for a kiss. “You seduced me pretty well, after all.”

Bucky barked out a laugh. “Don’t let Mama hear you say that,” he said. “She takes her mythology very seriously. If she heard you dissing the rusalka, she’d probably feed us both to it.”

“Heavens forbid your mother send me to the beautiful lake with my beautiful boyfriend,” Tony said dryly. 

“Don’t forget the beautiful mermaid that wants to drown you,” Bucky reminded him.

Tony rolled his eyes. “Ah, yes, the mythical rusalka,” he said. “I think if she wanted me dead, she’s had her chance. I’ve been here all by my lonesome for hours.”

Natasha wasn’t sure what she wanted, but she was pretty confident that it wasn’t Tony’s bones at the bottom of her lake. She wanted to taste his lips- Bucky’s, too- and see if they tasted like summertime. She wanted to see if their hair was as soft as it looked. She wanted to know what desire looked like on them, without the taint of fear. She just _ wanted _. And it terrified her.

She had never left her lake before, but she knew that she could, so long as she kept her hair wet. Thanks to her most precious possession, the comb she came into being holding that could conjure water anywhere, she was free to go wherever she wanted. Never before, though, had Natasha even considered leaving her lake. 

But, oh, she wanted to.

Casting one last look back at the crystal waters, she climbed onto the banks on shaky legs. Taking a minute to compose herself, she arranged her scarlet hair into some semblance of order, draping it to cover as much of her exposed flesh as she could. 

Natasha clutched her comb with white knuckles, running it once through her sopping hair for luck. Internally, she scoffed at herself; she didn’t need luck, she was a _ rusalka. _ Bucky and Tony would be tripping over themselves wanting her.

She picked her way towards them, all feline grace and sure steps, hips swaying. She knew she had caught their gaze, so she looked up at them through her eyelashes and smiled coyly.

“Hello,” she demurred, abandoning her usual purr. She didn’t want them seduced, not yet. “I think I’m lost, can you help me?”

There was no desire in the two pairs of eyes that watched her, just concern. “Of course, doll,” Bucky said, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around her wet shoulders. “What happened to you?”

Tony smacked his arm. “Not here,” he hissed. “Have some tact, would you?” He turned back to Natasha. “We can take you back to Bucky’s place, if you want, figure it out from there. That sound okay?”

“That sounds perfect,” said Natasha, an odd feeling in her chest. “Thank you.”

“I’ll run ahead, let Mama know we’re bringing home a rusalka,” Bucky resolved. “Tones, you good to get back without help?”

Tony made a face. “I _ am _ a genius,” he huffed, obligingly tilting his head up for a kiss. “We’ll be fine. Make sure your mother doesn’t _ actually _ think we’re bringing home a man-eating siren, please.”

“No promises!” Bucky hollered over his shoulder, jogging away down the beaten path that Natasha assumed led to the house. 

Tony looked at her, fondly exasperated. “We don’t think you’re a rusalka,” he explained, correctly interpreting her shocked motionlessness. When Bucky had said it, she’d almost flinched before she realized it was a joke. “It’s just the red hair and lake woman thing you have going on. I know rusalki aren’t real.”

Natasha grinned at him. “Right,” she twisted a coil of hair, the same hair that had dragged a hundred men like Tony and Bucky to their deaths, the same hair that would drag a hundred more. “They’re just a myth.”

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos make me happy!!
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr [@imposter-human](https://imposter-human.tumblr.com/)


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